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Construction Superintendent Vs Project Manager

The differences between construction superintendents and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $87,486 average annual salary of a construction superintendent.

The top three skills for a construction superintendent include OSHA, construction management and project management. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

Construction superintendent vs project manager overview

Construction SuperintendentProject Manager
Yearly Salary$87,486$91,578
Hourly rate$42.06$44.03
Growth Rate8%8%
Number Of Jobs34,822167,116
Job Satisfaction-4.17
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average Age4647
Years Of Experience8-

What does a Construction Superintendent do?

A construction superintendent's role is to oversee all construction plans and operations, ensuring quality completion within a specified timeframe. Some of their responsibilities are to inspect all sites, coordinate with contractors and engineers, manage the budget and expenditure, purchase necessary materials and equipment, and make schedules. Aside from producing daily progress reports, a construction superintendent also addresses issues and concerns should there be any. Furthermore, they must implement all safety regulations and policies to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

What does a project manager do?

Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.

Construction superintendent vs project manager salary

Construction superintendents and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Construction SuperintendentProject Manager
Average Salary$87,486$91,578
Salary RangeBetween $61,000 And $123,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest Paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest Paying StateHawaiiCalifornia
Best Paying CompanyColdwell Banker Morris Real EstateThe Citadel
Best Paying IndustryEnergyTechnology

Differences between construction superintendent and project manager education

There are a few differences between a construction superintendent and a project manager in terms of educational background:

Construction SuperintendentProject Manager
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most Common MajorBusinessBusiness
Most Common CollegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoUniversity of Pennsylvania

Construction superintendent vs project manager demographics

Here are the differences between construction superintendents' and project managers' demographics:

Construction SuperintendentProject Manager
Average Age4647
Gender RatioMale, 97.0% Female, 3.0%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
Race RatioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage4%10%

Differences between construction superintendent and project manager duties and responsibilities

Construction Superintendent Example Responsibilities.

  • Manage crew on apartment, condo and town-home remodel and restoration projects.
  • Manage the MEP coordination meetings, as well as performing mechanical superintendent duties.
  • Manage the supervising of construction and installation of HVAC restoration in historical government hospital buildings.
  • Manage complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.
  • Communicate with EOR/Architect/Construction PM/Superintendent/fab shop on all shop drawings as needed to resolve RFI's and change orders.
  • Avoid disputes & claims through comprehensive proposals, email correspondence, RFI's, & daily reporting.
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Project Manager Example Responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
  • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
  • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
  • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
  • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
  • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
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Construction superintendent vs project manager skills

Common Construction Superintendent Skills
  • OSHA, 13%
  • Construction Management, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Construction Sites, 5%
  • Safety Program, 5%
  • Quality Standards, 5%
Common Project Manager Skills
  • Project Management, 23%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Status Reports, 4%
  • Risk Management, 3%

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